The invention relates to latching systems suitable for use on luggage articles, for example for releasably securing a body section of an article to a hinged lid and the like. The invention is particularly adapted for use on luggage of the soft-sided type in which the front walls of the respective body and lid sections, to which the latching system is fitted, are of a somewhat flexible nature. However, the invention may also be used in other applications.
Latching systems for use on luggage articles should fulfill a number of basic requirements. First and foremost, they must provide secure latching of the body section of the article to the lid. In this regard, it is common practice to provide at least two individual latching assemblies spaced along the front walls of the respective sections. Further, it is desirable for the individual assemblies to be operable in a simple manner. To this end, it is known to provide a common manual actuator for operating a number of latch devices in unison by means of linkage and drive arrangements connected between the actuator and the respective assemblies. Additionally, it may be desirable to provide some form of locking means for the latching system, for securing against unauthorized opening of the luggage article.
Other desirable characteristics for luggage-latching systems are, for example, that the system should be as compact as possible, so as not to intrude unduly into the interior of the luggage article, that it should be relatively economical to manufacture and simple to fit and that it should be capable, to a degree, of accommodating misalignments which may develop between parts of the sections being latched. The last of these characteristics is of particular relevance in systems intended for use on articles of the soft-sided type.
The present invention is intended to provide a latching system for a luggage article which, to the extent possible, incorporates a combination of the desired characteristics in a novel form of latching structure.